Nikko 日光

It was cold and rainy (again) on our last full day in Japan, and it just got colder as we sped northwards and deeper into the Kanto Region on an older-model but warm and comfortable Tohoku-line bullet train.

An hour later we switched to the Nikko Express, a small tourist train, just a few cars long, which took us on a slow, but scenic one-hour ride to Nikko.

Shinkyo Sacred Bridge

Nikko is an old town. Though the population is small, the town is home to a disproportionate number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A short walk through the charming village brought us to the path towards the town's most famous sites.

Nikko is in the north of Kanto, and fairly high in the mountains. The sakura blossoms which had been beautiful in Kyoto and in full bloom in Tokyo hadn't yet even started to bud. The cherry trees were still dead and bare. Fog clung to the cold, damp streets, and a thick verdant moss grew on every rocky surface. Nikko was quiet, still, cold, and damp. It was still winter, yet it was beautiful.

dark moss grew on every rocky surface

Deep in a pine forest, we found our way to Tosho-gu Shrine, an ancient and serene holy place constructed in the chilly hills above Nikko. It's biggest claim to fame however is as the site of the original "Three Wise Monkeys" (hear no evil; see no evil; speak no evil), in the form of a carving on the side of one of the minor shrines.

Nikko had a rich ancient feeling about it that's difficult to describe. The temples and shrines feel connected in a deeper sense to the quiet peacefulness of the land than did those in Kyoto. Maybe it's to do with the season in which we visited; winter has passed, but it's not yet spring. In fact, we saw a few patches of snow still hiding in the shadows in some of the deeper parts of the woods. Despite the small crowd of tourists, the place felt quiet.

Low on cash, and without an ATM to be found, after visiting a few temples and shrines, we looked for a free site to explore. A fifteen or so minute walk out of the town brought us to the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, a gorge formed by an eruption of Mt. Nantai, through which the icy Daiya River rushes. The abyss is lined with seventy-odd "Ghost Jizo" statues, images of the Buddhist protector of children. It was admittedly a bit eerie. Local legend says that the exact number of statues is impossible to know, as it changes each time one tries to count them...

Kanmangafuchi Abyss

Kyoto offered culture. Osaka gave us food. Tokyo was the "big city". Nikko was different. This was a place of beautiful untouched nature and rich history. The "ghosts" watching over the abyss are all clothed in dark red knit caps and bibs or scarves. I've heard different stories about this. One source said that expectant parents will knit these caps to pray for children. Another said they are placed their by caretakers or monks.

Nikko might have been my favorite of the four cities we visited (well... five, counting the morning in Himeji). I love Kyoto, of course, but Nikko felt in a way less "touristy". It was farther north than anywhere else we had been, and the landscape and even the culture felt markedly different from that of Kansai or definitely Tokyo. Maybe next time I'll explore further north still, possibly to Tohoku or Hokkaido. In a way, I'm starting to miss the cold, spending most of my year in the tropics!

Daiya River